Clean Air NDC Scorecard 2023

The Clean Air NDC Scorecard 2023 evaluates how 170 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) integrate air quality and health considerations. The analysis reveals a significant gap in recognition of the links between climate action and air quality, particularly among high-income countries and major emitters, while low- and middle-income countries generally demonstrate higher levels of integration.

• The overall integration of air quality into NDCs is low, with an average score of 3.5/15 points across the 170 analysed documents. While 164 NDCs mention air pollution, only 51 (less than a third) refer to health impacts, quantify the burden, or specify health sector actions.
• Low- and middle-income countries lead in integrating air quality into their climate commitments. Colombia and Mali achieved the highest scores of 12/15. Low-income countries had the highest average score (3.7/15), followed by lower middle-income (3.6/15) and upper middle-income countries (3.4/15).
• High-income countries and major emitters show a marked lack of interest in connecting fossil fuel phase-out to clean air benefits. High-income countries averaged 2.9/15 points, while the top ten per capita emitters averaged 2.4/15 points and the top ten total emitters averaged 2.7/15 points.
• There is a disconnect between air pollution mortality rates and NDC commitments. The ten countries with the highest air pollution mortality rates averaged only 2.5/15 points. Specifically, North Korea and Solomon Islands both scored 0/15 despite having the highest mortality rates analysed.
• Sectoral and financial integration remains weak. Only 62 of 170 NDCs refer to actions to reduce air pollutants in specific sectors, with transportation being the most frequent. Only 17 NDCs mention costs, budgets, or returns on investment linked to air quality.
• Very few countries utilize specialized tools or guidelines for air quality. Only 20 countries earned bonus points, reflecting a general absence of references to the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines or the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

APA

Castillo, B. P., & Blom, I. (2023). Clean Air NDC Scorecard 2023. Global Climate and Health Alliance. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/clean-air-ndc-scorecard-2023/

Chicago

Castillo, Blanca Paniello, and Iris Blom. Clean Air NDC Scorecard 2023. Global Climate and Health Alliance, 2023. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/clean-air-ndc-scorecard-2023/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Castillo |first1=Blanca Paniello |last2=Blom |first2=Iris |title=Clean Air NDC Scorecard 2023 |publisher=Global Climate and Health Alliance |date=1 September 2023 |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/clean-air-ndc-scorecard-2023/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{castillo2023clean, author = {Castillo, Blanca Paniello and Blom, Iris}, title = {{Clean Air NDC Scorecard 2023}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/clean-air-ndc-scorecard-2023/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }